Office of the Macquarie University Provost
Learning and Teaching Performance
Background
Macquarie University has developed a Quality Enhancement Framework as part of a process to embed a culture of continuous improvement. The Framework was developed to assist the University to meet its ambitious goals set out in its strategic plan Macquarie@50 (PDF).
Enabling Performance
Professional development in learning and teaching is provided to both full-time and sessional academic staff:
- Learning and teaching development is provided through the Learning and Teaching Centre
The use of technology to support the academic purposes of the University and further student learning and engagement are supported by:
- Management Advisory Committee for Academic Learning Technologies (MACALT), and
- Blueprint for the Future Project
Teaching Quality Indicators
A key input to the Quality Enhancement Framework is teaching performance data:
- It is included amongst evidence for effectiveness as a teacher in both probation and promotion processes (see Section 5.5 of the Enterprise Agreement 2006-2009).
- Performance data measures our current state and progress towards our goals. It is the basis for benchmarking and other performance enhancement exercises (such as awards, rewards, pedagogical research and the spreading of best practice).
- Systematic student evaluation of teaching also informs probation and promotion decisions for academic positions:
- Probation reviews are conducted in accord with the Performance Management System. This requires the submission of course materials and student evaluations to substantiate claims about effective teaching.
- Academic Promotion requires documentation of teaching activities, including "above average ratings on student evaluations" (see Section 9 of the Enterprise Agreement 2006-2009) and the Performance Management Self-Reporting Forms 20.01b A to E.
The measurement of performance in learning and teaching is problematic as many of the existing measures are indirect and a proxy measure of quality outcomes. Macquarie University, along with the Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, is participating in a research project to develop indicators and outcome measures of teaching quality.
The outcomes of this Project will be direct measures of teaching quality, which will be implemented at Macquarie. In the absence of these, Macquarie is relying on existing measures of teaching quality, including: